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Thursday, August 13, 2009

A Page in the Life of Melody from Melody's Reading Corner

Please join me in welcoming Melody from Melody's Reading Cornerto Musings of a Bookish Kitty!I still remember the moment when Melody first asked to know my real name. We became fast friends after that despite the physical distance between us. Melody's blog is a regular stop on my blog travels. She doesn't know it, but we have a little competition going to see who can add to whose TBR pile the most.Melody always has a kind word to offer and great taste in books.

Literary Feline:Welcome, Melody! I am so glad you could join us today. I am always curious to know: how do you like to start off your morning?

Melody: During weekdays, I wake up at 5 a.m. to get ready for work. After preparing breakfast for myself and my husband, I will then bring my 9-month-old daughter to my inlaws’ place before leaving for work (while my husband will bring our eldest daughter to the childcare center). It takes me about an hour for the commute to reach my office so I always enjoy this time because that means I can catch up on my reading! As I am always early to the office, I will make use of the time to check my emails and read the blogs I’m following before starting my work.

Literary Feline:Besides reading and books, what are some of your other interests, hobbies or passions? How did you get started blogging about books?

Melody: Nowadays, I have no time for other hobbies except reading! Occasionally, I will catch a movie with my husband and do some shopping, and that is about all. I took up part-time Graphic Design seven years ago because I have great interest in arts and designing, but honestly I have no intention to pursue that career after my graduation. Most of my friends think I was insane to pursue a course that I have no intention of following the career, but that is my interest and I have no regrets.

As for blogging about books, I started my blog in July 2006. At that time, I started it merely out of curiosity and since I don’t have the intention of blogging about my personal life (I don’t think anyone would be interested in reading them anyway), I figure blogging about books would be the safest way of sharing my views with other people around the world and so that is how it started. But the best of all is, I found out about this book blogging community and I love exchanging views about books with fellow book bloggers.

Literary Feline:Has blogging impacted your reading? If so, how?

Melody: Blogging has definitely impacted my reading! There are so many great recommendations from other bookbloggers and most of all, I love the interactions! I used to read certain genres but ever since I started blogging, it has broadened my reading horizons and allows me to explore other genres which I would never think of reading in the beginning.

Literary Feline:What types of books do you like to read? And do you blog about every book that you do read?

I have no specific rules when it comes to reading and I will read anything as long as the premise sparks my interest. I like books that make me think in any aspect, but generally I simply like the joy of reading a good book and I definitely enjoy being surprised by them.

I always try to blog every book I read for my own record purposes. Usually, I will blog about the book as soon as I have finished reading it so I have a clear view of the book.

Literary Feline:Do you have any reading routines, rituals or habits?

Melody: I suppose I do since I always read during the commute and during lunch breaks. Back at home, I read whenever I can but it can be challenging when you have two children who are always vying for your attention.

As for habits, I always make sure to have a bookmark to mark my book, or simply any scrap of paper would do for I hate dog-earring my books.

Literary Feline:How do you pull yourself out of a reading or blogging slump or what steps do you take to avoid that from happening?

Melody: I don’t think I have reading slump often (which I’m glad!). I always pick up another book the moment I have finished reading one; it is the matter of choosing what book to read next that really bother me because I want to read so many books! Personally, I think choosing a book by my favourite author would pull me out of a reading slump.

Literary Feline:Do you have any advice or tips for your fellow bloggers?

Melody: If you have doubts, ask away! And please don’t feel shy about leaving comments. Friendship starts with a simple hello.

Literary Feline:What are you reading right now? Do you have any book or author recommendations?

Melody: I am currently reading Daughter of Blood by Anne Bishop and I love the premise! Anne has created a set of wonderful characters and I am particularly intrigued by the protagonist. She is a seven-year-old girl and yet she possessed great potential to be Queen, a witch who is believed to wield more power than even the High Lord of Hell himself! Three sworn enemies knew about this and they would fight anything to get control of this girl as whoever controls the Queen controls the Darkness. Can you tell this book is exciting?

Gosh, I wish I could list all my favourite books here! Here are some of my favourite reads which I would never get tired of reading them again and again: Tokyo (aka The Devil of Nanking) by Mo Hayder (thriller), No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay (thriller), Stolen by Lucy Christopher (YA), Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (YA), Nightfall by Anne Stuart (Romance Suspense), Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg (fiction), The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (fiction)… just to name a few.

If you wish, do check out my reading history on my blog to find out some of my favourite reads of the year.

Thank you, Wendy, for allowing me to be a guest for this post!

Literary Feline: Thank you, Melody, for taking part in my A Page in the Life feature!It's been a pleasure having you here.

22 comments:

What a lovely interview. I con't envy Melody getting up at 5am though. My husband works shifts and often gets up then, but I don't think I could manage it. I miss getting the train to work, now I either work from home or drive so I can't really read as much as I did.

Anne Bishop is one of my very favourite authors and I hope you enjoy Daughter of the Blood.

Melody is a treasure. I think I found her through Beth Fish, and since then, she is ALWAYS one of the first to comment on every post I have. If I don't see her in the comments the first thing in the morning, I know she is sick or on vacation! It was so nice to learn more about her. I love your interviews Wendy!

I love Melody, and I loved the interview. I can fully relate to only having time for one hobby...I like things besides reading, but these days I find it harder and harder to make time for them and still read as much as I want.

So glad I stumbled on your cozy corner for book lovers. Thanks for sharing a slice of Melodie's interior and exterior worlds. Literary Feline,I'm very impressed with your compilation of lists and fortitude to collate your favorites by genres etc. I photograph and then post everything I read on Sundays at my blog The Boomer Muse. It began as a way of record keeping, but I fell in love with book cover design along the way. I post images of both back and front covers which adds a new dimension to book viewing and perhaps reading choices.

Thank you for taking the time to visit Musings of a Bookish Kitty. Don't be shy! I would love to hear from you. Due to a recent increase in spam, I will be moderating all comments for the foreseeable future. Please be patient with me as it may take a few hours before I am able to approve your comment.

Contributors

At the age of five, Literary Feline (aka Wendy) was diagnosed as a fabulavore. Due to the low story content of movies and television, she has required a steady supply of books to provide her sustenance. She currently resides in California with her loving husband, adorable daughter, and two affectionate and sassy cats. Literary Feline has broadened her nutritional sources by reviewing books. Please note: Literary Feline is not a bibliovore. She's not eating the books for goodness' sake.